Unified Communications

So far in the 700 MHz auction there have been bids totaling more that 2.4 billion and in about a month we should know who won. There were just under two thousand bids for this precious spectrum which could become a viable competitor to DSL and cable.

It seems to me that Google absolutely needs to ensure some of this spectrum falls into friendly hands -- even if it has to purchase frequencies and lease them out to other companies.

Of course it isn't just Google who is in this position... Microsoft, Yahoo!, Amazon and others are similarly challenged.

Google's need to acquire some of this spectrum is in exact contrast to the incumbent providers who have to do their best to ensure the spectrum does not fall into the hands of companies which would reduce their negotiating power in generating more revenue from their existing broadband connections.

We should know who the winners and losers are in about a month and this TMCnet

The article was written by Arlene Satchell and she did a wonderful job with it. Here is an excerpt:

South Florida businesses are tapping into the technology that allows people to make phone calls using high-speed Internet instead of regular phone lines.

Known as voice-over-Internet protocol, or VoIP, the technology is seen by some businesses as a cost-saving measure and a way to offer employees telecommuting flexibility.

Thirteen South Florida companies debuted their latest products and innovations this week at the Internet Telephony East Conference and Expo at the Miami Beach Convention Center, which is expected to attract 7,000 participants and ends today.

Here are some of the happenings this week at ITEXPO. My team is already down in Miami, making sure the new Mustang convertible is prepped and ready for the raffle Friday. I wish you luck in winning the car and either way you will end up with something of value -- a 3-day IP communications education available nowhere else.

I hope everyone has a safe trip down to Internet Telephony Conference & Expo. The registration numbers are trending nicely above estimates and we expect a stellar event. As always, we have done our absolute best to assemble the most knowledgeable speakers and diverse exhibitors and this show will provide the best IP communications education ever.

As a side benefit I figured I should remind you that flights to Miami are still very cheap and the weather in the US is getting colder. Here is a map of the current temps...

By now, you may have heard that Sun has agreed to purchase open-source database company MySQL for one billion dollars. Many companies are betting on open source as the future and open source companies operating in niche markets such as databases and others seem to make good M&A targets. In fact we can expect another computer company to be making an open source niche purchase in the next few weeks. Stay tuned for details.

In the mean time, I recently had a chance to ask open source communications company Digium founder Mark Spencer about his company's one millionth Asterisk download.